SCOTCAT.COM  

your internet guide to all things catfish
≡
  • HOME
  • FACTSHEETS
    • By Month/Year
    • By Family
    • by Genus
    • by Common Names
    • By Specific Names
    • By Continent
      • Index
      • Africa
      • Asia
      • Australasia
      • Europe
      • North America
      • South America
  • GALLERIES
    • Photo Gallery
    • Art Gallery
    • Movie Gallery
    • Stamps Gallery
  • FAMILIES
    • A-B
      • Ailiidae
      • Akysidae
      • Amblycipitidae
      • Amphiliidae
      • Anchariidae
      • † Andinichthyidae
      • Ariidae
      • Aspredinidae
      • Astroblepidae
      • Auchenipteridae
      • Auchenoglanididae
      • Austroglanididae
      • Bagridae
    • C-D
      • Callichthyidae
      • Cetopsidae
      • Chacidae
      • Clariidae
      • Claroteidae
      • Cranoglanididae
      • Diplomystidae
      • Doradidae
    • H-I
      • Heptapteridae
      • Heteropneustidae
      • Horabagridae
      • Ictaluridae
    • K-L-M
      • Kryptoglanidae
      • Lacantuniidae
      • Loricariidae
      • Malapteruridae
      • Mochokidae
    • N-P
      • Nematogenyidae
      • Pangasiidae
      • Phreatobiidae
      • Pimelodidae
      • Plotosidae
      • Pseudopimelodidae
    • R-S-T
      • Ritidae
      • Schilbeidae
      • Scoloplacidae
      • Siluridae
      • Sisoridae
      • Trichomycteridae
  • ARTICLES
    • Index
    • Breeding
    • By Author
    • Cat-Articles
    • General
    • Numbered List
    • Ichthyology
    • Travel/Collecting
  • IDENT-A-CAT
  • RESOURCES
    • Citation
    • Etymology
    • Fishhouse
    • Glossary
    • Scientific Papers
    • ScotShop
  • SITE MAP
  • FB GROUP
  • HELP
    • Index
    • Catfish Anatomy
    • Convertors
    • FAQ
    • Ident-A-Cat
    • Water Chemistry

FACTSHEETS: September 1999 - no. 039

Mochokiella paynei  Howes, 1980


his is the only representative of the Mochokiella genus in the Mochokidae family. It was described by Dr.Gordon Howes of the Natural History Museum in London with a specimen provided in 1980 by Steve Pritchard a friend and fellow member of the Catfish Study Group


Mochokiella paynei

Mochokiella paynei

 

It is very close to the Synodontis species but can be told apart by its very long branched barbels ( outer mandibular = 3 branches, inner mandibular = 4 ) and its comparatively small size. It is also very much like in appearance, the genus Microsynodontis, but as mentioned before they have longer mandibular barbels, a larger eye, smaller adipose fin and a forked caudal fin, whereas the Microsynodontis genus has a rounded caudal and smaller eyes.

 

 

Mochokiella paynei

Mochokiella paynei

 

It likes clean water with low nitrates, so keep up the monthly water changes in your aquarium.

If affordable purchase more than one individual as I'm sure this species would be a prime candidate for a determined and successful breeder in the future.

 

 

Mochokiella paynei

Mochokiella paynei

 

Above image shows the branched barbels unique to this species

 

 

Common Name

Payne's Catfish

Synonyms

None

Family

Mochokidae

Subfamily

Mochocinae

Distribution

Africa: Sierra Leone, type locality, Kassawe Forest Reserve, Sierra Leone.

Size

8.0cm. (3¼ins)

Temp.

22-26°C (71-80°F)

p.H.

6.2-7.5

Characteristics

Head markedly curved, snout rounded. Mouth small, lower lip not developed as in Synodontis. Eye supero-lateral. Humeral process elongate and pointed, almost as long as the pectoral fin, barbels with unilateral branching.

Colouration

Mottled, reticulated dark brown markings on beige-creamy background. Most distinctive are the dark bands across the head and those linking the eye with the nostrils and corner of the mouth. The anterier part of the body is uniformly dark but posteriorly is reticulate. Particularly noticeable is the diagonal stripe from the rear of the adipose fin to the anal fin. The adipose fin has a light border, all other fins are barred and blotched. All barbels are barred.

Aquarium Care & Compatibility

This catfish is an excellent addition to any community tank. It can be very secretive during the day but is certainly happier if you furnish the aquarium with hiding places such as bogwood/logs, pipes or rockwork. You can then see it occasionally with such a set-up.

Sexual Differences

Males are slimmer than the females and in some of this genera the caudal fin is longer in the males with the females being indented.

Diet

Will take most prepared aquarium foods such as frozen bloodworm, whiteworm, shrimp, prawns, tablet food, flake and pellets.

Etymology

Mochokiella: From the Latin -ella; in reference to the small size of the fish (literally: "a small Mochokus").
paynei: named after its discoverer, Dr. Payne, in a rain forest creek in Sierra Leone.

References

Baensch, H.A. and R. Riehl 1985 Aquarien atlas. Band 2. Mergus, Verlag für Natur- und Heimtierkunde GmbH, Melle, Germany. 1216 p.
Burgess E. Warren Dr. An Atlas of Freshwater and Marine Catfishes, 1989.
Howes, G.J. 1980 A new catfish from Sierra Leone. Bull. Br./Mus. Nat. Hist. (Zool) 38(3): 165-1702.
Sands, David. Catfishes of the World Vol2.,1983.

Photo Credits

Top & Bottom image: © Hippocampus Bildarchiv
Middle image: © Allan James @ ScotCat

Donate towards my web hosting bill!


If you would like to contribute to the monthly factsheets with an article, information or photos, please e-mail me. You will of course be credited for your work.

If you would like to donate any denomination of money to the site just click the above link button. All proceeds will go to running the site and hopefully to keep it going for a few years yet.


ScotCat Sources

Article Article

Etymology = Genus Etymology-genera

Etymology = Species Etymology-specific name

 

Online Sources

Search  Search

FishBase Fishbase

Wikipedia Wikipedia

Catalog of Fishes Catalog of Fishes

Global Biodiversity Information Facility GBIF

FishNet2 Fishnet2

iNaturalist iNaturalist

  • Facebook about us + contact us + citation + translate + site map + scotshop + glossary + etymology +
  • help YouTube

©2025 SCOTCAT.COM